Ashley Chard

I studied Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz. I chose to study there because I am fascinated by the Human Genome Browser. I am intrigued by genes and genetics. I find it interesting how the four bases that make up DNA can combine to make so many different things.

I discovered Sophomore year of college that I enjoyed coding, which is how I came to work at the LEEPS Lab at UCSC. One of the projects I worked on was ConG, a platform that allows Economists to study market simulations in continuous time. I did many different things while working there, as the software development team was very small. I mainly did technical writing, but I also did front-end programming, UI, and QA.

I am passionate about reading and early childhood literacy development. I believe that being able to read is one of the most imprtant things one can learn to do, and so I strive to help people not only learn to read, but enjoy it, too. Recently, I began facilitating a story time that features child volunteers reading to the other children, showing that reading is an attainable skill for every age.